Twenty-Four Seconds From Now By Jason Reynolds

Seventeen-year-old Neon is about to have sex with his girlfriend, Aria, for the first time. In 24 seconds to be precise. He’s hiding in the bathroom, nervous, wanting to do everything right. Rewind. To 24 minutes earlier where Neon rushes from work, taking the gift of fried chicken to Aria’s house. Rewind again. To 24 hours earlier when Neon’s big sister has advice about sex which makes him think he probably shouldn’t be listening to his friends. To 24 days earlier. To 24 weeks earlier. To 24 months earlier, when he and Aria first met. This tender, sweet, wholesome piece of fiction discusses how to approach first sex, how to respect women, how to be gentle, how to make it about love. It shows us a refreshingly different side to male sexuality.